Chapter 9

Butler x Young Master (9)

The young heir’s patience had run out. Every pore of his being exuded a chilling aura, his pitch-black eyes devoid of any light, with dark shadows shrouding his brow.

He stared intently at the audacious butler before him.

Unlike before, she was unusually stubborn at this moment.

“Butler Jiang, know your place,” he reminded her appropriately, hoping she would back down upon recognizing the difficulty.

Jiang You remained unmoved, her feet planted firmly by the door like a statue blocking the entire entrance.

Looking at Huo Shu, who appeared as cold and heartless as ice utterly unlike someone his age should be, she felt not only a headache coming on but also a pang in her nearly empty wallet.

She suddenly felt great admiration for her partner from her previous life. He always managed to turn danger into safety; anything involving people, he handled with near perfection.

He said the most complex thing in the world was human emotions.

And emotions were what Jiang You had the least experience with.

“Well, well, blocking the door like that?”

A sarcastic voice suddenly came from behind.

Before Jiang You could turn around, she instinctively shifted forward slightly, narrowly avoiding a malicious, sudden kick aimed at her.

The one who had kicked was the collateral heir, Huo Liuzhou, and behind him stood the second young master, Huo Ye, who had come with the intent to seek revenge.

The incident at Chu Muci’s birthday banquet had been the biggest humiliation Huo Ye had ever suffered in his life.

Especially since it was because of Huo Shu.

The person he looked down on and despised the most.

Even though his elder brother, Huo Jing, had avenged him, the vindictive Huo Ye would not let it go so easily.

Jiang You’s expression shifted from blank to irritating as she recognized the newcomers.

One of the reasons the male lead, Huo Shu, would become an outlaw in the novel was because of this half-brother, the second young master, Huo Ye.

Since Jiang You arrived in this World and became Huo Shu’s butler, he had been the person she found most annoying.

What kind of rich second-generation heir had nothing better to do than specialize in bullying others?

Was there something wrong with his brain?

Before she could figure it out, the troublemaker Huo Ye had already ordered his lackeys to restrain the still-injured Huo Shu.

A baseball bat had somehow appeared in his hand, which he swung through the air, leaving a faint afterimage.

“Someone like you actually dared to scheme against me. Did you really think Father punished me for your sake? Hah, Father wishes you were dead already.”

Huo Ye stepped closer, his venomous gaze cut into Huo Shu like a knife. He raised the bat, aiming squarely at Huo Shu’s legs, ready to strike hard.

If he dared to scheme against him, he should at least pay a price.

Two legs ought to be enough.

Huo Shu, forced to his knees and held firmly in place, had disheveled hair falling over his forehead. His eyes, red as if bleeding, stared fixedly at the baseball bat. As it swung toward him, he closed his eyes in despair.

A long moment passed.

The expected pain never came. He slowly lifted his eyelids to see the woman who had snatched the baseball bat and knocked out Huo Ye with a single blow.

Her speed was almost inhuman in the blink of an eye, she had subdued the lackeys restraining him as well, effortlessly knocking them unconscious and piling them together.

“Pat, pat.” Jiang You clapped her hands, tossed the baseball bat onto the pile of bodies, and then walked over to him, asking with concern, “Young Master, are you alright?”

Huo Shu’s eyes were clouded with confusion, filled with disbelief.

Yet, in Jiang You’s eyes, this was finally a glimpse of how a teenager his age should look.

He ought to show more expressions like this, it made him seem more like a high school student.

“Young master, don’t worry. They lost because they’re not as skilled as me. They wouldn’t dare complain to President Huo,” Jiang You declared with unshakable confidence.

Huo Ye valued his pride more than his own life. Once he regained consciousness, not only would he refrain from reporting the incident, but he’d also likely worry she might tell others about it.

As she spoke, she lifted him into the prepared wheelchair. Jiang You had reached a decision.

Since he refused to recuperate here, she’d take him elsewhere.

Only after being wheeled out of the infirmary did Huo Shu belatedly realize what was happening. He immediately tried to rise from the wheelchair.

“Young master, please don’t move.” Jiang You stopped walking, retrieved a mask from her pocket, and leaned close to his face with a gentle tilt of her head. Her movements were careful as she fitted the mask over his face.

Her rough fingertips accidentally brushed against his pale skin, while her steady breath warmed the hollow of his neck.

Huo Shu froze abruptly. From the corner of his eye, he saw her approaching fingers and the blue mask covering half his face.

They were so close he could see her phoenix-shaped eyes focused intently on him – slender, slightly upturned, gleaming like translucent gems catching light.

Before he could look away, those eyes followed his gaze. In the shifting light, they reflected his own image with an almost mesmerizing intensity.

Huo Shu’s back stiffened, his throat suddenly dry as he quickly averted his eyes.

In contrast, Jiang You’s gaze remained calm and straightforward. After securing the mask, she straightened up and said, “Young master, I’ll take you out to have some fun.”

After several seconds of silence, contrary to her expectations of rebelliousness, Huo Shu didn’t tear off the mask or leave the wheelchair. Instead, he asked with detached coolness:

“Where?”

“The cinema.”

They took a taxi from the training base to Qicheng’s most expensive downtown area.

The cinema was on the ninth floor of a shopping mall. Being Saturday, the mall was packed with crowds lining up outside restaurants and hot pot establishments.

All the highly rated recent releases were completely sold out for two days straight, with not even corner seats available.

But Jiang You hadn’t come for those films anyway.

“Ding.” The elevator arrived.

Jiang You push the wheelchair and Huo Shu sitting in it drew considerable attention from the crowded elevator queue.

She maneuvered the wheelchair inside, and soon the cramped space filled with people.

She positioned the wheelchair facing the elevator wall, where a glass-covered advertisement board faintly reflected their images.

Jiang You didn’t notice that in the glass reflection, the young man in the wheelchair was quietly watching her.

Watching her repeatedly glance down to anxiously check his condition, worried he might be angered by the elevator’s crowding and noisy conversations.

“Ding.”

The ninth floor arrived.

People filed out of the elevator. Two laughing, playful individuals accidentally stumbled against the wheelchair, nearly falling.

They managed to steady themselves against the wall, but one lost grip on their coffee, sending it spilling toward Huo Shu.

Jiang You swiftly caught the cup, though scalding coffee splashed onto her hand. Almost instantly, red marks bloomed across her skin.

“Sorry, sorry!” the two hurriedly apologized upon seeing this.

Jiang You waved it off, returning the coffee cup before indifferently wiping the stains from her hand with a tissue.

“It’s fine. Just be more careful when walking next time.”

They exited the elevator.
As she lowered her gaze, she met the young man’s silent stare fixed upon her.

She froze momentarily, thinking the coffee had splashed onto him as well, and hurriedly asked, “Young master, were you scalded too?”

Huo Shu subtly averted his eyes and replied indifferently, “No.”

It was only because of the kindness and gentleness she radiated at that moment, like a sliver of warm sunlight slanting through the winter sky, felt exceptionally precious.

It was a warmth he had never encountered before.

💝 Support the Team

Zephyr Yizelle

✍️ Translator

🍵 Ko-fi